I don't know how I missed this Tracy, but it's WONDERFUL!!! It's easy to feel overwhelmed when you are in the middle of dealing with puppies (or small children!!!) but the DO grow up, and most of them grow up pretty nicely, either because of us or in SPITE of us!

Thanks everyone - I hope it will be helpful to people, at the very least let them know that they aren't nuts if they feel overwhelmed at times and that it doesn't mean they are the worst puppy owner ever!

I'd almost forgotten how nuts he went whenever I tried to shower.

At times the annoying parts of puppy-hood seemed like they'd go on forever, but it's really helpful to look back and see how far things have progressed because sometimes it's just astonishing how far you've come in only a short while.

__________________
Tracy and Brody

A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than you love yourself.
- Josh Billings

My DH and I are in late adolescence (both retired) and everyone said we were crazy bringing home a puppy ten months ago...at times, I'd think they were right. The 5 a.m. wake ups (I imagined that was my new world forever and raved about first light), the nipping, the surprise potty mistakes throughout the house (on rugs is the worst-I began to feel grateful for the soiled edges of rooms even when they were 5 inches from a piddle pad...go figure) BUT now, Lucky is such a grown-up friend by comparison to then and frankly to other dogs we've had. I usually wake him up (we didn't go for the bed sharing) and each morning is a celebration, as if he hadn't seen us for years and was up for the day's adventures. I agree with everything said about not worrying so much about whether we"re doing what others do raising a puppy. It's your dog who has to work with your life style and as the psychologist Winnicott said, all a child needs to grow to the light is a "good enough" mother. I know this forum is flooded with good enough and even better mothers of Havanese (still odd to me calling myself a mother to this furry friend but hey...). Our caring as Dave called it, brings us here. As for the doubters so afraid of puppyhood, it's a moment in time and here's a great doggy...asking politely for my lap.

Oh Tracy, I love the 20/20 look back at Brody and your all consuming worry as you tried to cope and be the best pet parent...worry,worry, and more worry. It makes me smile and I am so happy to hear it was worth it to you. We all have had those 'what was I thinking moments'.

As for the barking my Bolonka girl came to be as a barker and it has been a challenge! If you have the time there is a book by Stanley Coren called Born to Bark, I have read it before and laughed, but now I have reread it, oh boy can I relate. You'll get a handle on the barking, it as all things with our pups will take time and of course patience. Just when we think we have had enough, they look at us our hearts melt and all is forgotten in the moment.

Great thread! Tino will be 16 weeks on Monday and our big issues are nipping (not to mention outright, blatant nose biting), and barking/crying when left alone. Otherwise he's a dream. Potty training is going so well I can't believe it, and he sleeps until 7:30 or even later on the weekend. As I type this, he's in the throes of his Nightly Puppy Crazies which involve barking at our patient-as-a-saint cat and Running Like Hell around the tv room. Funny about showers: he hovers near the shower door and won't take his eyes off me. Sometimes I have to crack the door a bit just to appease him. I will miss many things about puppyhood when it passes--which it will, all too quickly--but I will not miss biting and crying. I look forward to being able to leave for a few hours without worrying about him barking in his crate. So stressful.

I won't miss all the potty walks. I must bring Ted out for at least 5 or 6 walks a day. The worst is at 6 pm in the dark and when I would love to watch the news and his late night one. Both of them, he seems to take forever to go. I get cranky when I'm tired! Lol

Lol lise! I totes understand. Morning potty is the rough one for me. Trying to get my twin boys ready for school (kindergarten) and getting Tino to pee & poo. Often he will only poo after he's had breakfast which makes mornings feel like a badly choreographed plate spinning routine. I try not to be Grumpy Mommy--that's my spiritual exercise!

For me, the very best thing is the passing of the early wake ups! I'm so not a morning person. And now he's reliable enough that I can keep my bedroom door cracked open a bit so if he has to get up and go, he can just head out to the bathroom and do his business and I don't have to live in fear of what he might do to my apartment while out of my line of sight. ha ha

__________________
Tracy and Brody

A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than you love yourself.
- Josh Billings

I won't miss all the potty walks. I must bring Ted out for at least 5 or 6 walks a day. The worst is at 6 pm in the dark and when I would love to watch the news and his late night one. Both of them, he seems to take forever to go. I get cranky when I'm tired! Lol

Ha! Kodi is 3 1/2, and he STILL needs his 6-ish walk. He seems to ALWAYS time it in the middle of me making dinner, which complicates things more.

But I don't let him dawdle. If he needs to go out THAT badly that he can't wait for me to finish cooking, he'd better get it done quickly... otherwise, it's right back in the house we go!